Sculpture in the gardens

Auguste Rodin (French), Eve, 1881, cast before 1920, bronze.

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, MI. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Tony Cragg (British), Bent of Mind, 2005, bronze.

Installed outside the welcome center of the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, MI. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Roxy Paine (American), Neuron, 2010, stainless steel.

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, MI. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Alexander Liberman (American, born Russia), Arla, 1979–1983, painted steel.

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, MI. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Anish Kapoor (British, born India), Untitled, 2010, granite.

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, MI. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Marshall Fredericks (American), Leaping Gazelle Fountain (Rabbit, Hawk, Grouse, Otter), 1936, cast 1995, bronze.

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, MI. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Foreground: Louise Nevelson (American, born Russia), Atmosphere and Environment XI, 1969, painted weathering Corten Steel.

Background: Richard Serra (American), Equal Intervals, Equal Elevations, 1996–2021 (partial), 1996–2012, forged steel.

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, MI. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Kiki Smith (American), Sleepwalker, 2002–08, bronze.

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, MI. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Nina Akamu (Japanese-American, born United States), The American Horse, 1999, bronze. Based in part on Leonardo de Vinci’s 15th century unfinished Gran Cavallo, a commission from the Duke of Milan, The American Horse has one other cast, located in Milan.

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, MI. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Louise Bourgeois (American, born France), Spider, 1997, bronze.

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, MI. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Mark di Suvero (American, born China), Scarlatti, 1994–2000, steel.

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, MI. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

George Segal (American), Girl Standing in Nature, 1976, bronze with white patina. Girl Standing in Nature is Segal’s first work made for outdoor installation and is painted to resemble the plaster cast sculpture he is better known for.

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, MI. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Deborah Butterfield (American), Cabin Creek, 1996, bronze.

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, MI. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Flora and fish at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park

Carp at the Frederick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, MI. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Encompassing 158 acres in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park represents a massive undertaking as both a horticultural center and an art space. The sprawling campus includes an amphitheater, accessible walking trails, sculptures by major modern and contemporary artists, and a welcome center that houses both indoor galleries and multiple greenhouses.

There is, in other words, a lot to see. For Josh and me, this meant what we had intended to be a two hour stroll with friends ultimately became an all-day death march under the summer sun. Which is how we know we had a great time.

Our initial interest in the gardens was as an outdoor museum, and our desire to see as many sculptures as possible kept us going throughout the day. However, many of my favorite aspects of the park—the ones I found most visually stunning and memorable—turned out to be its natural, more ephemeral attributes. These included the koi pond with its floating lily pads and churning, overlapping reflections; the seemingly misplaced wildflowers sprouting beside the paths; and the carefully cultivated carnivorous plants that crowded together in one of the smaller conservatories.

On the whole, I was struck by how much thought and care had been put into every aspect of the park to cultivate a total aesthetic experience—or, perhaps more accurately, to cultivate a series of interconnected aesthetic experiences—and I look forward to seeing how the gardens and sculpture collection develop in the future. I just hope that next time we visit we remember to come prepared with multiple bottles of water and comfortable walking shoes.

Venus flytraps (Dionaea muscipula) at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, MI. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Carp at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, MI. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Queen Anne’s Lace at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, MI. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Carp at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, MI. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Sweet pea flowers at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, MI. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Carp at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, MI. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Bird’s-foot trefoil at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, MI. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Carp at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, MI. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Flask-shaped pitcher plant (Nepenthes ampullaria) at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, MI. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.